Lee Mercantile Company was founded by Henry David Lee in 1889, when Lee opened his first garment factory in Salina, Kansas, producing dungarees and jackets.
In 1913, the Union-All work jumpsuit was created, followed by the first-ever "Overall" in 1920 - laying the foundation for Lee's early growth. Also in 1920, the Buddy Lee doll was launched for promotional use, but quickly became a popular play doll. Through the '20s, Lee introduced many new innovations to manufactured denim, most notably the zipper fly. Throughout the '30s and '40s Lee continued to build on their brand, becoming the nation's #1 manufacturer of work clothes.
The decade of the '50s was a time of intense expansion for Lee as the company ventured into casual wear. Lee expanded its presence throughout the '60s, spreading to 51 countries and consolidating with VF Corporation in 1969. The company continued to expand its fashion lines throughout the '70s, '80s and '90s, launching Lee National Denim Day® in 1996. Today's Lee is all about bringing more fits, styles, finishes, features and choices than ever before to market.
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"For over a century Lee Jeans have been a pioneer in all things Denim. The brand evolved from humble beginnings as part of the H.D Lee Mercantile company in 1889. Lee, the company's founder, deemed that the uniforms his staff were wearing could be improved upon. Using the same attention to quality that was the company's trademark, Lee took about crafting overalls, jackets and dungarees that would go on to service industry workers across the whole of America, leading to the brands first tag-line..."The jeans that built America".
Today Lee jeans continue to bear many of the brand's unique features as standard. Features such as the "Lazy S" back pocket stitch that signifies the horns of a steer and the "Hair on Hide" leather label on the waistband, a nod to the original method of branding.
The "Originals" range feature detailed replicas of the iconic Lee 101Z and 101B. This year signals 120 years since the birth of the brand...another milestone in Lee's illustrous denim history"
